The summer of 2013 was in many respects one of discovery for Elfrid Payton and the basketball world. He went from "Who?" to "Wow!'' in the span of two months.

He visited parts of the world he had never seen, saw his belief that he could compete with the best players in college basketball affirmed and lost a dear family member who helped him understand the value of asking questions, studying and going below the surface to fully grasp each situation.

UL-Lafayette (20-11), the third seed in the tournament, will face the winner of Thursday's Texas-Arlington-UL-Monroe game in a second-round game Friday at 8:30 p.m.

"Yeah, I'm really looking forward to it,'' said Payton, who was named a first-team All-Sun Belt selection for the second consecutive season and the Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year on Tuesday. "That'll be fun playing in front of a lot of family and friends.''

It's been a whirlwind of a year for Payton, who just turned 20 in February.

Last summer, he played point guard for the USA Basketball FIBA U19 team that won the world championship in Prague, Czech Republic, in July.

He also toured China playing basketball with Sports Reach, a Christian ministry that uses sports to spread the Gospel. Then he went to Spain in August with the UL-Lafayette basketball team.

But in late May, Payton's grandmother, Betsy Payton, a longtime teacher in New Orleans, died.

"That was tough on him and everybody,'' said Payton's father, Elfrid Sr. "She meant so much to so many people and (Elfrid Jr.) adored her.''

Payton said basketball helped soften the blow some. But what hurts is he never got to tell her goodbye.

"She was a teacher and she was real strong in the church so a lot of people knew her in the community,'' Payton said. "Two days before I came back (from China) she went into the hospital. But they didn't tell me until I got back in the states. But she left out of the hospital and everything was supposed to be fine. Then a couple of days later she went back. And that was pretty it much it after that. I never really got a chance to talk to her.''

It was during tryouts for the U19 world team that Payton, a relative unknown outside the Sun Belt Conference in college basketball, made his mark. He made the team beating out several big-name players, including Parade All-American Rodney Purvis, now at UConn, and former St. Augustine guard Javan Felix, now at Texas.

He played alongside Oklahoma State guard Marcus Smart and Duke guard Rasheed Sulaimon. He drew praise and a starting spot in the lineup from U19 coach Billy Donovan of Florida.

And he produced. He averaged 6.1 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists in the team's nine games, including nine points and six assists in the squad's 82-68 victory over Serbia in the championship game.

But had not UL-Lafayette coach Bob Marlin worked to move heaven and earth, it's doubtful Payton would have been involved with the team.

University of Louisiana-Lafayette point guard Elfrid Payton, from John Ehret, averaged 19.3 points this season and was named first-team All-Sun Belt Conference.From University of Louisiana-Lafayette

Marlin is friends with Donovan and called him to ask for a tryout for Payton. Donovan said absolutely because he knew Marlin had a good idea of the type of player that USA Basketball was looking for. There were some hoops to jump through with USA Basketball but they were navigated and Payton was on his way.

Payton said he never doubted he could compete with and against college basketball's elite players. Part of his confidence was forged by his grandmother, he said, who taught him to assert himself even when circumstances dictated he couldn't do something.

"My goal was to make the team,'' Payton said. "I wanted to make the team. I would have been disappointed if I hadn't. Then starting, it was great. Coach Marlin did a good job of helping me out. That was big for him to make that call to (Coach Donovan). And Coach Donovan gave me a chance.''

Payton makes the most of his chances.

Because he's so young - he didn't turn 17 in his senior year of high school until February - he didn't blossom in high school until his junior year.

Ehret coach Al Collins said he went from the 12th player for the Patriots as a sophomore to an All-State selection as a senior.

He didn't get much recruiting attention until late, either, Collins said.

"When he signed, I told (a reporter) that I thought he was a major steal for (UL-Lafayette),'' Collins said. "A lot of people were getting on him late. They had either missed out on some kids or missed out on who they were looking for. A lot of people were trying to get on him extremely late. So, first and foremost, he was a major steal for them.''

UL-Lafayette initially thought of redshirting Payton because he was so young. But he developed quickly his freshman year and has progressed each season.

"Every challenge that we put in front of him, he's answered,'' Marlin said. "It went all the way through USA Basketball last summer. He elevated himself. He had a good freshman year. Wound up starting in the conference tournament for us. Had almost a triple-double against North Texas in a game we ended up losing at the end.

"The next year (as a sophomore), he was not on any preseason all-conference teams polls. There were three teams and he wasn't on the top 15 in the conference. I was sleeping pretty good at night because I liked the guy running our team. And he ended up being a unanimous (all conference) pick.''

The veil has been lifted on Payton now. He had an incredible season this year as a junior. His offensive numbers are impressive, 19.3 points per game, making 51 percent of his shots from the field, and a league-leading 5.9 assists per game. He also pulled down 6.0 rebounds per outing.

Defensively, he averaged 2.3 steals per game and loves to guard, he said.

Both Collins and Georgia State coach Ron Hunter, who led the Panthers to the Sun Belt regular season championship, compare Payton to Boston Celtics guard Rajon Rondo.

"I really think that's who he is,'' Hunter said. "He plays hard defensively, understands the game. Can dominate the game in so many different ways. He reminds me of Rondo. I remember seeing Rondo in high school and watching him play in college. Has a lot of Rondo to his game.''

But Payton's skill has impressed more than Hunter, Sun Belt coaches and USA Basketball. NBA personnel people started calling Marlin after last summer about him, wondering how Payton flew under the radar.

Payton's name has popped up on 2014 mock NBA Drafts, some listing him as a mid to late first-round draft choice, others in the second round.

Payton laughs about it, says his focus is on winning the Sun Belt tournament this weekend and showing the rest of the nation what UL-Lafayette can do in the NCAA Tournament.

He's relying on his father, a Canadian Football League Hall of Famer at defensive end who was inducted in 2010 and is second all-time in sacks in the CFL, and family. And Marlin is helping to keep him focused, too, he said.

"We sat down (first) when he got back from Prague,'' Marlin said. "Billy Donovan called and Mr. Payton Sr. and Elfrid, we were all in my office and we talked a long time. Billy encouraged him to tighten his circle. There would be people coming at him. Just continue to get better and win. Lead your team and try to get to the NCAA Tournament. But don't let it be a distraction.

"Scouts have been coming to all the games. He's a little used to that now. We just don't want any distractions. We're going to sit down at the end and talk about it. We're getting some feedback. There is an underclassmen evaluation that the NBA sends out. We're going to get a good read on where he stands at the end of his junior year. The decision is up to him.''

For now, Payton said he wants to enjoy the moment with his teammates and being home to play in front of his family and friends.

"A lot I've learned is you never get time back,'' Payton said. "So make the most of it and have fun being out there. Play hard but have fun.''